When Panic Leads You Home
by Emily Carol
Summary: OneShot. It was one of those moments that he never wanted to experience hearing the news that you should have been there for, but only to hear about it on the radio halfway across the country. It was the kind of moment that sends you into a blind panic...


**When Panic Leads You Home**

By Emily Carol

It was one of those moments that he never wanted to experience; hearing the news that you should have been there for, but only to hear about it on the radio halfway across the country. It was the kind of moment that sends you into a blind panic where your only solution is to turn around and abandon your journey.

_There is a hostage situation in the small town of One Tree Hill, North Carolina at the local high school. Eight students are known to be held hostage by another student who is armed. So far there are no known casualties. Names have yet to be released._

Jake couldn't believe how short the radio announcement he was hearing was. Sure, he was in Tennessee, almost Arkansas, continuing his search for Jenny since Nikki had a brother in a small town near the board of Arkansas and Tennessee, but it was still big news, no matter where it was happening.

Jake dangerously pulled a U-turn in the middle of the street he was going down. He had to go back, he didn't know what else to do. Where was Peyton within all of this? What if she was one of the eight hostages? What if there were more hostages? They didn't even have to be Peyton to send him into a panic, he knew people at the school, they were his friends.

Horns blared as he made his turn but he didn't hear them. The only thing he could hear were the words of the radio report repeating over and over again.

_Hostage situation._

_Eight students…held hostage._

_Student who is armed._

_No known casualties._

Perhaps the last would be comforting to some people, but Jake could only focus on one word.

_Known._

That still meant somebody could be hurt.

And even if nobody was hurt physically, this would scar everybody for life. Tree Hill had a lot of drama for a small town, but this could send them over the edge.

_Hostage situation._

_Eight students…held hostage._

_Student who is armed._

_No known casualties._

Who at Tree Hill High would do such a thing as this? What had happened to Tree Hill since he'd left on his search for Jenny that lead to it being on its way to being a town that people only spoke about in hushed whispers and sorrowful tones?

Everything was a blur as Jake drove through Tennessee until another radio report came on.

_The hostage situation in One Tree Hill, North Carolina has released one of the hostage victims, a junior by the name of Abby Brown who was released to retrieve insulin from her locker. She is talking to police. Seven students remain in the hostage situation but nine students have been reported as unaccounted for. The name of the shooter is Jimmy Edwards, a senior at One Tree Hill High School.._

Jake couldn't place any of the names he was given. He vaguely recognized them both, but he couldn't place a face. He continued through Tennessee, his speed increasing as he pushed 80 going down the highway towards North Carolina, the words of the reports repeating over and over in his mind.

_Hostage situation._

_Eight students…held hostage._

_Student who is armed._

_No known casualties._

_Abby Brown…was released._

_Seven students remain._

_Nine students…reported unaccounted for._

_The shooter._

_Jimmy Edwards._

The words may have meant nothing to his fellow drivers, but to Jake, they meant his world. His world, the one he had known his entire life, was being torn apart by tragedy. One had gotten out, but did that mean the other nine who were unaccounted for would as well? Or would they all die, one by one, at the hands of faceless Jimmy Edwards.

Did he know any of them? Was he friends with them? Had they been at the countless basketball games or had he shared a class with one of them?

Had Jimmy selected his victims? Or were they random?

Where was everybody Jake knew? And especially, where was Peyton in all of this? Was she experiencing this blind panic, not knowing what was going on? Or was she an unaccounted for student?

Jake crossed the Tennessee/North Carolina boarder in an hour, probably a record from where he had started. He couldn't seem to get the reports out of his mind.

_Hostage situation._

_Eight students…held hostage._

_Student who is armed._

_No known casualties._

_Abby Brown…was released._

_Seven students remain._

_Nine students…reported unaccounted for._

_The shooter._

_Jimmy Edwards._

His foot pressed harder on the gas as he tried to make his way towards the Atlantic coast. He was only about forty miles into North Carolina when he heard another report.

_The hostage situation in One Tree Hill, North Carolina has been rectified. The tragedy in this small town on the coast has ended in two deaths and one victim in intensive care with a shot to the leg and severe blood loss. The deceased are Jimmy Edwards, the shooter himself, and Keith Scott, a local who snuck into the school to try and reason with Jimmy. A student, Peyton Sawyer, has been taken to One Tree Hill General Hospital with shot wounds. She was hiding out in the library with fellow senior Lucas Scott who was not injured. The seven hostages left all escaped unscathed after Edwards committed suicide after, it is speculated, shooting Keith Scott. The other hostages asked not to be identified._

Jake's blind panic turned into sobs as he heard names he recognized on the radio. He continued to rush towards Tree Hill. Peyton was hurt, Peyton, his true love. As cheesy as it sounded, that was what he saw her as, the only girl he truly loved. Sure, he'd thought he'd loved Nikki, but Peyton was who he really did love. Why had he left? She was hurt and he wasn't there.

It took Jake two more hours to reach Tree Hill and the entire time the three reports continued to reel through his head.

_Hostage situation._

_Eight students…held hostage._

_Student who is armed._

_No known casualties._

_Abby Brown…was released._

_Seven students remain._

_Nine students…reported unaccounted for._

_The shooter._

_Jimmy Edwards._

_The hostage situation…rectified._

_Two deaths._

_Intensive care._

_Keith Scott._

_Peyton Sawyer…shot wounds._

_Lucas Scott._

_All seven hostages…unscathed._

_Committed suicide after…shooting Keith Scott._

_Not to be identified._

Jake went straight to One Tree Hill General Hospital.

"I need to see Peyton Sawyer!" He gasped for breath as he ran into the reception area. His eyes were still red and his face still wet from tears. Jake couldn't remember crying this hard ever. Even when he'd sent Jenny away with Whitey, even after Nikki had stolen Jenny away. Sure, he'd cried, but never like this.

"Are you family?" The nurse asked.

"No, but her dad, he, uh, asked me to come," Jake said, lying through his teeth, pretty sure Peyton's dad wouldn't be able to make it for at least a few more hours.

The nurse knew the boy was lying, but she recognized the panic in his eyes and knew he needed to see this girl. She gave him the room number and he gave her a rushed thanks as he ran through the doors and towards the elevator.

Peyton's room was empty except for her shape on the stark white hospital bed, visiting hours were technically over, but Jake didn't care.

"Peyton?" He whispered, sitting down next to her.

Peyton stirred and her eyes opened slowly. "Jake?" she asked. "Am I hallucinating?"

"No," Jake said. "I heard the reports, and I came back. I didn't know what else to do."

"Oh Jake," Peyton said. "What about Jenny?"

"I'll go after her when I know you're okay," Jake said. "I love you Peyton, and I love Jenny too but, I can't leave you like this."

"Yes, you can," Peyton said. "Go back to get Jenny, then come home."

"But Peyton, Keith's dead and you're in the hospital, and everybody has to be dying on the inside," Jake tried to reason. "And Peyton, who were the hostages? The reports didn't give any names I recognized besides you, Lucas, and Keith. They wouldn't release the hostage's names except for Abby Brown. Did I know anybody else?"

"Oh Jake, there was Nathan and Haley. And Mouth and Skills. Rachel and Marcus who you don't know," Peyton told him.

Jake was shocked, he'd expected to know, one, maybe two. But never seven of the people involved, four of the hostages.

"Jake, you need to leave," Peyton told him.

"I can't," Jake said. "I panicked when I heard the first report and I headed straight back and I know I belong here, I need to stay here."

"But you need to get Jenny," Peyton said.

"But I love you Peyton, I want to be here for you," Jake said.

"You need to get Jenny," Peyton persisted.

"Don't you love me?" Jake asked.

"Of course I do," Peyton said. "And because I love you, you need to leave. You need to get Jenny, your daughter, and you need to stay away from Tree Hill. Find a small town away from here and let Jenny grow up there. A place where tragedy didn't strike, a place that's safe and secure. Somewhere you'll never worry in, a place that would never make the news and send you into that blind panic you experienced. I don't want you to leave, I want to be selfish and tell you to stay but I know I have to let you go forever. You can't come back here Jake, Tree Hill isn't safe anymore and Jenny can't be here."

"Peyton –" Jake began.

"No," Peyton stopped him as she lifted her fingers to his lips, the hand that didn't have the IV in it feeding her blood. "I love you Jake, and that's why you need to leave. Because you shouldn't love anybody more than you love Jenny and if you don't leave to get her now, you may never leave."

Jake had begun to cry again. Not the panicked cry from the drive, but the cry of a goodbye. He kissed Peyton on the forehead, and without another word left her hospital room and slowly went back to his car.

Peyton was right that he needed to get Jenny, but she was wrong about him never coming back to Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill was his home and Jake knew that because a few sentences on the radio had lead him back there in panic. So he'd go and find Jenny and then, he'd come back to Tree Hill.

He cried in the car as he headed to the small town where Nikki's brother was again and in a stark white hospital room Peyton cried her own tears, for Jake's leaving and for what Tree Hill had to deal with next.


End file.
